Back to Pegasus, S6, E2
by jayni1000
Summary: It's their first mission off-world since returning to Pegasus, and it doesn't go as planned. Ronon whump, team friendship. M rating, nothing explicitly described, just something dark is implied. Please read and review! Established: Ronon/Amelia, McKay/Jen
1. Chapter 1

_I don't own Stargate: Atlantis or its characters…unfortunately…_

xxxxx

Chapter 1: Same as Usual

"Just like old times," Sheppard said as he and his team stepped through the event horizon. Atlantis had arrived back in Pegasus 3 days ago, and this was their first off-world mission since their return. Just another scouting of a planet.

"Why does Woolsey insist on making friends with every primitive colony out here? And why do I have to go?" McKay grumbled to himself. He'd rather be spending his time going through research and having lunch with a certain CMO.

Teyla smiled. "Yes, just like old times."

The team walked in silence for a half hour. The Atlantis database showed the planet as being inhabited, but hadn't said much else. They weren't sure what kind of people they would run into. The planet seemed the same as any other: trees, rocks, hills. Nothing too spectacular. McKay glanced down at his LSD. "The village should be just over that ridge." When they reached the top of the ridge, McKay grumbled at the sight before them. The village was a ramshackle mish-mash of randomly put-together buildings. "Ya, there'll be a lot worth trading there," McKay muttered as he followed the others down the hill.

They made their way into the village, and were greeted by curious stares by the townspeople. Ronon tensed. "What's up?" Sheppard asked immediately, reaching toward his P-90.

"Everybody's armed…" Ronon said, and glanced towards the knives and pistols he saw at everyone's waste. Seemed a little high-tech for the type of village they just entered. Sheppard hesitated for a moment, then signaled his team forward. They hadn't seen any threatening behavior, and it's not like they didn't go everywhere armed themselves. Who was he to judge? Once they'd reached the center of the village, a well-dressed man stepped out in front of them. "What can I do you for, strangers?" he asked pleasantly.

Sheppard looked him over and replied, "We're just lookin to make some new friends. See if you've got anything to trade."

"I see, please follow me. I'll take you somewhere more private to talk." The team followed the man into a large house, and were shown to a large table. "Please, sit. My name is Kole, I am the leader of this village."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Colonel John Sheppard, this is Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, and Dr. Rodney McKay."

"I see, so what exactly do you have to trade?"

"Mostly medical supplies…you?"

Kole laughed. "Medical supplies. We trade in only one thing, as it has a large profit margin." Sheppard raised an eyebrow. Kole walked over to stand directly in front of Ronon. "How much for this one?" Ronon pulled out his stunner and growled.

Sheppard shot out of his chair, "Sorry, buddy, he's not for sale. I think we'd best be on our way." At that the rest of his team stood up with their hands on their weapons. "We don't want any trouble, so we'll just head back the way we came."

"Of course," Kole said as he walked towards the door. "I'll escort you," he said with a smile.

They made their way cautiously out of the village and headed back towards the gate. McKay grumbled. "Another useless waste of my time." Sheppard didn't like this. From what Teyla and Ronon had told him, slave traders weren't very well-received in most planets on Pegasus. Letting them go didn't seem like a very smart move on Kole's part. He glanced at Ronon and Teyla, who each nodded and scanned the surrounding woods for any sign of life.

When they were about 50 feet from the DHD, Kole stopped. "Down!" Ronon yelled as two dozen men poured out of the surrounding trees. Ronon took down two of the men with his blaster, but before anyone else could raise their weapons, the team was completely surrounded. They backed up until they were in a tight circle, weapons aimed out at the men surrounding them.

"Please, Colonel Sheppard, lower your weapons. There is no need for anyone else to get hurt."

"Ya, well, you might as well let us go right now, because none of us are going to take kindly to being told what to do." Sheppard replied, and aimed his weapon directly at Kole. The man smiled, and now Sheppard could see the malice behind his smile. He knew he had the advantage, and that chances were he'd get what he wanted.

"We have no need for you, the woman, or the short one. All we need is the giant. Now, I'm willing to let you all live, but there really isn't too much keeping you alive right now. If you cause too many problems, we'll kill the three of you and just take him. If you'd like to live, please, lower your weapons."

"I don't make it a point to hand over my people to slave traders. What exactly do you want just him for anyway?" Sheppard asked, wondering why exactly they didn't seem to want him, McKay, or Teyla.

Kole sighed. "We're not your average slave traders. We only look for a certain type, and the giant is that type. Ronon, correct? You other three aren't what our client wants, and I can make more than enough from him to cover the cost of three bullets. As I said, if you want to stay alive, put down your weapons."

"Okay, man makes a good point…" Sheppard frowned and signaled to everyone to toss their weapons out in front of them. At least if they were alive, they'd be able to escape. Can't exactly do that if you're dead. One of the men walked over and picked up Ronon's blaster. He looked it over for a few seconds, then raised it and stunned each member of Sheppard's team.

"You've made a good choice," Kole said to Sheppard's unconscious body lying in front of him.

xxxxx


	2. Chapter 2

_I don't own Stargate: Atlantis or its characters…unfortunately…_

xxxxx

Chapter 2:

Amelia looked up from her control panel. SGA-1 was a half hour late. Woolsey had already ordered Major Lorne and his team to report to the gate room, and she hoped that nothing had gone wrong. It wasn't the first time that Colonel Sheppard and his team had run into trouble, but it was the first time since she'd been involved with one of his team. She and Ronon had spent a lot of time together while they'd been stuck on Earth. She'd even taken him for a vacation with her family in Michigan. She'd been surprised when he'd accepted her invitation, but even more surprised by how much he'd seemed to like her family.

"Dial the gate," Woolsey said, and she punched in the address. Lorne looked up at her and gave her a nod. He'd find out what happened, she was sure. Ever since word had spread that Ronon and Amelia were an item, SGA-1 and SGA-2 had taken the time to try to get to know her better. Apparently she'd received an invitation to enter their little family via Ronon. She and Teyla had even sparred a few times. Teyla gave her lessons with the bantos sticks, and Amelia had shown her a little about kickboxing. Yes, Teyla was definitely her favorite. She returned his nod and shut down the gate when he was through. Now it was just a matter of waiting.

xxxxx

Ronon slowly opened his eyes. He wasn't sure where he was. He knew he was lying on a cold stone floor somewhere. He slowly began to remember what had happened. The planet with the slave traders, the ambush at the stargate, that bastard picking up his gun and stunning everyone. Ronon smiled as he remembered that it had taken the man two shots to take him down. He sat up and looked around. There was no sign of his team, which worried him. He was alone in a windowless room, and he was sure that they were on a different planet. The village they had visited was poorly built, but the room he was in was built of stone, evenly placed and very sturdy. He stood up slowly, and was surprised to realize that he was uninjured. As he stood, he felt something hard and cold around his neck. Reaching up, he tried to pull it off, but the second he touched it he pulled his hand back with a start. Whatever it was, it had shocked him. He tried again, and met with the same shock. "I guess I'll leave it there, then," he grumbled.

Ronon walked up the the door and put his ear against it. He didn't hear any noises, but waited and listened for a few minutes just to be certain. He had to find Sheppard, Teyla and McKay. Once he was sure there was no one outside, he reached for the handle. The door opened smoothly and quietly. This is bad, he thought to himself. No way they'd let him just walk out of here. He was at the end of a long hallway, and he quickly made his way to the opposite end. There was no natural light anywhere, so he assumed he was underground. At the end of the hall was a staircase. He looked around for anything he could use as a weapon, but there was nothing. He checked all his hiding spots for the thirteen knives he always carried, and was relieved to find that they'd missed one. He pulled it out and started up the stairs, listening for any sign of movement. When he reached the top, he stopped and crouched next to an open door. Outside there were people everywhere. He noticed a few of them had metal rings around their necks which matched his. No way I can sneak past them, he thought to himself. He appeared to be in another village, a much larger village. His team could be anywhere. A group of men carrying weapons approached the door he was hiding behind. Ronon looked for a way to move for more cover, but any movement would give away his location. He tensed himself, ready to take them out. The men got closer, and Ronon counted four. Easy pickins, he thought. He waited until they stepped into the entrance to the staircase, then he slammed the door shut and leaped forward, knife in hand. Before he could reach them, searing pain shot down his neck, cramping his muscles and sending him to the ground. He could barely hold back the scream that wanted to make its way to the surface. After a few seconds, the pain stopped and he lay on the floor, gasping air.

One of the men laughed. "Well, guess we don't have to haul him up the stairs after all!" Ronon gritted his teeth and tried again. He reached for the knife he had dropped, but was immediately on the floor again, convulsing as the pain shot through him. When it stopped, he sat up slowly. "That'll happen every time you try and do something stupid." The man held up a small round disc with a button in the middle. "Several of us have these. All we need to do is hit the button and you're on the floor. No use trying to escape." With that, the man spun around and kicked Ronon in the head, knocking him unconscious.

xxxxx

Sheppard had been awake for a few minutes when Teyla and McKay started coming to. They were in a cell, probably underground. There was a grate for a door, much like the jails in the westerns he loved. He walked over and helped Teyla sit up. McKay opened his eyes moaning.

"What HAPPENED? Ya know, I'm getting tired of all this. Nothing ever goes the way we plan. I could be at home with Jennifer right now, but NOOO, these…primitive assholes decide they like Ronon! Um…where's caveman, anyway?" McKay looked around and there was no sign of their friend.

"Don't know." Sheppard replied. "You guys okay?"

McKay grumbled a yes, and Teyla nodded. "John, this is not the village we visited. The building we are in appears more…well built." John nodded.

"Well, wherever we are, we've got to figure a way out of here and find Ronon."

xxxxx

Ronon felt water splash on his face and sat up quickly. Two men were standing over him, one holding an empty jug of water. Ronon was on the floor in a large room. There were cots everywhere, a few of them had sleeping forms on them. "This is where you'll be staying until your buyers show up. They should be here mid-day tomorrow," the one with the jug said. "If you make any attempt to leave the village before then, your friends will be killed."

Ronon growled. "Where are they?"

The man motioned for him to follow, and Ronon stood up carefully. Now he understood why they'd let him walk around freely. They were sure that there was no way for him to escape. They held his friends' lives in the balance, and this ring around his neck would stop him if he tried anything. The man talked as they walked, "You're free to walk around the village, but don't attempt to get over the walls. There will always be at least two men with you. Both will have the button to take you down if you try anything. You're free to visit your friends until your buyers arrive."

"What happens to them after tomorrow?"

"Simon, he is our leader and Kole's brother, hasn't decided yet. He's not sure if they'd be worth anything. We only have so many of those rings, so only ones such as you receive them. Most men we break, but your buyers don't want you broken. For those that they don't want broken, we supply the rings. Simon's not sure if your friends are worth the trouble of breaking them." Ronon frowned. His team wouldn't break. That meant after tomorrow, they'd probably just be killed. He had until then to break them out. That might be tough with this damned thing around his neck. He reached up and touched it again, and received another shock.

The man lead him down a set of stairs on the other side of the village. They're in the room at the end of the corridor. Ronon walked forward, and the two men kept a good distance behind him.

xxxxx

"Or he could just walk in, free as a bird," McKay said, and pointed towards the door. Ronon stood in the doorway.

"Hey, buddy! You wanna break us out of here?" Sheppard asked.

Teyla looked relieved. "Ronon, it is good to see you safe."

Ronon walked over, and the group then saw the two men behind him. "Ya, well, can't exactly break you out." He pointed to the ring around his neck, careful not to touch it. "Those guys'll floor me with this thing if I try anything." He sat down in front of the grating.

"Huh?" Sheppard looked confused.

"Touch it," Ronon said with a smile. Sheppard reached out gingerly and touched it, then jumped back with a yelp. "Ya, imagine that but x10. Kinda puts a damper on me breakin' you guys out of here. These guys follow me everywhere. Apparently, some people are coming tomorrow. Guess they _bought_ me…"

Teyla frowned. "And they will kill us if you attempt to escape?" Ronon nodded.

"Well what happens after tomorrow? Did we get SOLD too?" Rodney almost shrieked. This whole slave trade thing was beyond him. It seemed like a lot of trouble to go through to get someone to do what they wanted.

Ronon leaned in and said quietly, "I'm pretty sure they're going to just kill you. We need to figure a way out before then. They'll be showing up around noon tomorrow, and it's already getting late here. Sun's almost down."

"They seem very confident that you cannot escape. Letting you see us does not seem like a good plan." Teyla whispered. Ronon agreed.

Sheppard thought for a minute. "If you could take those two out before they managed to activate your neck thingy, we might be able to sneak out before the alarm goes up."

Ronon nodded. "Good plan, but they keep their distance. I'm fast, but all they've got to do is push a button. And if it didn't work, I'm pretty sure they'd just shoot you and lock me up."

Rodney sighed. "Well, if we're so dead, maybe you could scrounge us up a last meal or something? My stomach is growling, and you know I'm hypoglycemic! I can't go this long without eating!"

Ronon looked over at his shadows. "You two good buddies want to show me where to get these guys some food?" To everyone's surprise, they nodded. "I'll be back," he said to his team. In a lower voice he whispered, "I'll try to figure something out. Maybe I can lose one of these guys somehow."

"Okay. We'll try eating through these bars while you're gone. And since when do you have a sense of humor?" Sheppard smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

_I don't own Stargate Atlantis or its characters. I just kinda wish I did…oh well._

_Ya, this one's rough. I kinda made it impossible for them to escape, so I'm just trying to figure out how to get them out of this situation…hmmm…we'll see how it goes. :D_

xxxxx

Amelia looked up as the chevrons on the Stargate started to engage. "Unscheduled off-world activation," she shouted. Woolsey ran out of his office. "Raise the shield." he said. "Are we receiving an IDC? It should be Major Lorne and his team returning. Hopefully with good news."

Amelia watched her monitor, and after a few seconds, Major Lorne's IDC popped up. "Major Lorne's IDC, sir." She quickly lowered the shield, and in a few seconds, Evan Lorne and his team stepped through. Lorne glanced up at her, his face worried. Oh God, she thought to herself. Something happened. Woolsey called Lorne into his office, and the rest of his team reported to the infirmary for their post-mission physicals. Amelia watched Lorne talking to Woolsey behind the glass, wishing she could hear what they were saying.

She looked over at Chuck. He could see how worried she was, so he tried to cheer her up. "Hey, you know this happens all the time. But they always come back. Don't worry so much, okay?" Amelia smiled at him, knowing he was right. But that didn't mean she could stop worrying. She kept seeing his face, smiling at her. She'd never seen him smile until the first day she'd visited him in the infirmary. Seeing him smile when she walked into the room was definitely something she could get used to. She hadn't had the butterflies when a guy looked at her in years, but all he had to do was be in the same room as her and she'd get the butterflies. Okay, stop thinking, she thought to herself. Just do your job, and they'll do theirs. They'll all come back, safe and sound. Just like always.

After a good ten minutes, Lorne walked out of the office on his way to the infirmary. He caught a glimpse of Amelia's worried face and walked over. "Hey," he said in his most re-assuring voice, "we met up with the leader of the village. Some well-dressed guy named Kole. Said they never showed up at the village, but we followed their tracks all the way from the gate to the village, so he's lying. Woolsey gave us permission, so my team and 2 teams of Marines are going back in a half hour to search that town inside and out. Don't worry, we'll find them." He smiled and headed off quickly. She sighed and looked down. Her shift was off in ten minutes, but there was no way she'd be able to sleep. Not with Ronon and his team missing. She closed her eyes and saw his face, smiling at her.

xxxxx

Ronon walked down the hall towards his friends carrying a tray-full of food. One of his guards yawned as they walked, and Ronon smiled. That was his plan. He entered the room and set the food in front of the cell. McKay immediately grabbed some bread and meat, and started eating. Teyla gave him a look, and he stopped with a mouthful of food. "Um, thanks Ronon."

The big man grunted. He caught Sheppard's eye and leaned in. "I think I might be able to get you guys out. I've got to leave, though. I'll see you in a few hours." Sheppard nodded. "Thanks for the food."

Ronon nodded and got up to leave. He made his way back to the room with the cots, doing his best to look tired. After he finished the loaf of bread he'd been given, he laid down and pretended to doze off.

While he waited, he thought about Amelia. God, she was so beautiful. He'd been surprised to find someone so quickly after Dr. Keller had rejected him. After a while he'd realized that she wasn't who he thought she was. Yes, she was a strong woman, but he finally had to admit that he liked her because she reminded him of Melena. Seeing her so happy with McKay, which he still didn't get but whatever, made him happy. McKay was a good guy, but he didn't see much in common between the two of them. Oh well, he thought to himself. They both seem happy together, and she can put up with his ego. Heck, his ego's actually gotten smaller since they've been together.

He thought back to the time he'd spent with Amelia's family on Earth. Her mother seemed to love him, and her father didn't seem to care about much of anything. Her sisters were very welcoming, and he was surprised that he had actually enjoyed himself. He wasn't very good with people, but being around Amelia made everything seem easier. She seemed so comfortable no matter what situation she was in that it made him start to feel comfortable. It was no secret on Atlantis that the two of them were, as earth people said, "seeing each other". His team seemed to accept her into their little family. Teyla sparred with her several times, and Sheppard did his best not to hit on her, which was a big thing for Sheppard. He seemed to feel the need to hit on any girl that was hot, and Amelia was definitely hot. She made him laugh sometimes, too. He'd tried to convince her to show him some kickboxing, but for some reason she seemed hesitant, so he didn't push it. Whatever it took, he would get back to her. He'd walk through that gate, right up to the control panel, and kiss her right in front of everyone.

Ronon waited for two hours, and finally heard the soft snoring of the yawning guard on the cot next to him. The other guard was sitting on the floor at the foot of his bed, widdling a piece of wood. It was late at night, so the few other people in the room were sound asleep. Without a noise, he sat up and reached towards the guard at his feet. A quick twist, and his neck was snapped. He slipped off the cot and stood looking down at the other guard, sleeping. If he awoke and found him gone, he'd raise the alarm. Without any hesitation, he leaned down and the guard was dead. Kill or be killed. And he wasn't going to let his team die. He grabbed the keys off the dead guard's belt and headed quietly to where his team sat waiting for him.

Sheppard looked up when he heard someone in the hall outside. McKay was snoring quietly, and Teyla sat in one of her yoga-like poses, meditating. He envied her. She could be so calm and collected, no matter what the situation was. He looked over at the door and jumped up when he saw Ronon, minus the two guards. "Nice! How'd you pull that off?" His voice woke McKay, and Teyla was immediately on her feet.

"One of them was yawning all day, so I waited for him to fall asleep." He stuck one of the keys into the lock. It didn't work, so he started trying the others.

"Nice job, Chewie. Let's get out of here. Any idea where our weapons are?" Ronon shook his head.

"We've got to be quick. McKay, any way you can figure out how to get this thing off me?" McKay stepped out as the door swung open, and looked closely at the ring.

"I don't see any latch…it's all smooth all the way around. They must have welded…ya, they welded it together. Ronon, you've got a second degree burn the size of Texas on your neck."

"Huh. Didn't notice." Ronon reached up and felt. Guess there was.

"How did you not notice that?? It's huge!"

Sheppard shushed them. "Now's _really_ not the time, guys. Are you able to get it off?"

McKay frowned. "No, it's W-E-L-D-E-D together. We'll need some sort of tool to get it off."

"Ronon, have you seen anywhere that tools may be kept?" Teyla asked from the door.

He shook his head. Sheppard frowned, "Okay, here's the deal. We need to get out of here fast. We need to figure out where the Stargate is and quick before anybody figures out we're gone. Once we're back in Atlantis we can worry about getting that shocky thing off him. Any idea where the Stargate is?" Ronon shook his head again.

"Oh, nice job, caveman! You might have done a little recon before you busted us out!" Another look from Teyla. "Well, not that I'm not grateful that you busted us out…sorry, I'm not helping, am I…"

Sheppard started for the door. "Okay, no more talking. Let's get out of here."

The team headed down the hallway, Sheppard in front, Teyla, McKay, then Ronon. They made their way up the stairs and stepped outside. The streets were empty, and the moon provided just enough light for them to see where they were going. "Wall's this way." Ronon led the way, and soon they were over the wall.

"Okay, Stargate. Where you at?" Sheppard said to the woods.

"Um, I'm going to say that way…" McKay pointed off in the other direction.

"How do you know?"

"Cause I'm pretty sure I can see it on the top of that hill."

"Oh, ya, I noticed that too." Sheppard coughed and they all started towards the gate. It looked like it might be a half hour's jog from the town. Sheppard hoped they had that much time. Hopefully nobody noticed they were gone until they were actually gone.

After jogging uphill for ten minutes, Teyla stopped and looked behind her. The lights in the village were coming on, and she could see several people walking around. The sun was just about to come up. "Ronon!" she called out urgently. Her team stopped and turned. "Ronon, you need to run! They'll soon find us gone, and we cannot make it to the gate before they do if we have to carry you. Run, Ronon!" Ronon hesitated for a second, then bolted ahead. Sheppard was always amazed at his strength. McKay was grumbling and could barely breath, even he and Teyla were out of breath, but there he went, tearing off ahead like it was one of their morning runs.

Sheppard looked at Teyla and McKay. "We need to move. Rodney, you have to keep up with us." McKay nodded, and started moving again. They could hear Ronon crashing through the foliage towards the gate. Ten minutes, that's all he needed. He had to make it to the gate. They continued on as fast as they could for a few minutes, each one of them worried about what would happen if they activated the device before Ronon could get to the gate.

Five more minutes, Ronon thought to himself. He could hear his team-mates behind him, but the sound was fading. He was making good time. He took another step, and he felt it. The small shock before the device fully activated. Before he had time to react, he was crashing down, screaming in pain. He lost all muscle control as the electric current ran through him.

Sheppard, Teyla and McKay hesitated for a second when they heard his screams. They dashed forward as fast as they could and reached Ronon in 60 seconds. He was laying on the ground, writhing in agony. He'd managed to suppress his screams, but they could see the veins bulging from his neck and face. McKay reached down and rolled him over. "There's got to be a way to disable it!" He examined the device again, but saw nothing but smooth surface. Whatever this was, he had no idea how it worked, or how it was possible. He looked at Sheppard and shook his head. Sheppard and Teyla stepped forward immediately and each grabbed one of Ronon's arms.

"Rodney, get to the gate and dial it!" McKay ran ahead of them. He could see the Stargate clearly now. Two more minutes. That's when Teyla and Sheppard heard the horses. They could hear at least a dozen horses heading up the hill. They would be overtaken before they could make it to the gate with Ronon. Ronon heard it too. "Ronon, you need to get up! Get up, big guy!" Ronon tried. He concentrated, trying to ignore the pain, but none of his muscles would respond the way he wanted them to. "Crap, must be some kind of electricity. Makes you lose muscle control," Sheppard said quickly.

"What can we do?" Teyla asked as they continued forward as fast as they could. The horses were not far off now. "Colonel, we can't make it." Sheppard stopped and looked down at Ronon. It hurt him to see so much pain on his friend's face.

"Go, John, Teyla," Ronon managed to gasp. "You're no good if you're dead. Just go, you'll come back and find me."

Sheppard grasped his hand and pulled it to his chest. He hated having to do this. "Ronon, we'll come back. We're going to beat the crap out of that Kole guy until he tells us how to find you. Got that? **We're coming back**. I won't leave you behind. Not for long, anyway." He smiled at Ronon, trying to encourage him.

"You better. Tell Amelia…" Sheppard cut him off sharply. "No. You tell her." Sheppard patted him on the shoulder, and Teyla quickly touched her forehead to his.

"I will see you soon," she whispered in his ear. "You hold on until then." Without another word, she and Sheppard dashed towards the gate. They could hear the horses slowing down where they'd left Ronon. I left Ronon, Sheppard thought miserably. A tear rolled down his face as he thought of his friend, lying there helpless. He took a breath and ran through the event horizon, McKay and Teyla on either side.


	4. Chapter 4

_I don't own Stargate Atlantis or its characters. I just borrow them._

xxxxx

Mr. Woolsey wandered down the hall outside his room. It was early morning, and he couldn't sleep. He wondered how Colonel Carter and Dr. Weir had done it, dealt with missing team members so many times. Half the mission reports he had read involved some kind of confrontation, and it didn't seem they were having any better luck. Major Lorne and his team had returned during the night. They had searched the village, and the only traces his team had found of SGA-1 had been their weapons. The townspeople had been questioned, but no one gave up any information. Their leader, Kole, had refused to say anything whatsoever, and Mr. Woolsey was unsure what to do. Colonel Carter had allowed Ronon to "question" a suspected Goauld, Kavanaugh. Luckily, the man had fainted as soon as Ronon had entered the room, and the man had turned out to be not guilty. Major Lorne had suggested that the same tactic be used on Kole, but Mr. Woolsey had a hard time condoning torture. He wanted his team back, but had never believed that the end justified the means. If only he could be sure that this man deserved whatever it was that Lorne would do to him.

"Mr. Woolsey to the control room," a voice sounded over the radio.

"On my way," he replied, and ran to the nearest transporter. He entered the control room, and was relieved to see Colonel Sheppard, Teyla and Dr. McKay running through the event horizon. He ran up to them with a smile on his face, "Thank God! What happened? Where's Mr. Dex?"

Sheppard looked at him. "We were taken to a different planet, and he managed to break us out. He's still back there. We've got to get back to that village, find Kole, and get a gate address out of him." When Woolsey looked like he was going to ask more questions, Sheppard continued, "Woolsey, we don't have a lot of time."

Woolsey nodded. "We're a step ahead of you. When you were late, Major Lorne went to the village. We have Kole in custody. He's in an isolation room, but he refuses to say anything."

Teyla grabbed Mr. Woolsey's arm, and the group stopped and looked at her. She had a hard expression on her face, one Sheppard had only seen a few times before. The latest time was when she had killed the man who threatened her child. "As Colonel Sheppard said, we do not have a lot of time. Allow me to question him." It sounded more like a demand than a request, and Woolsey didn't argue. He led them to the isolation room.

Before Teyla stepped inside, Colonel Sheppard caught her eye. "Don't do anything you'll regret."

Teyla nodded and stepped inside, a fierce look overtaking her usually gentle features.

xxxxx

Sheppard paced outside the room. Teyla had been inside for nearly an hour, and they had heard no sounds. Woolsey and McKay had gone back to the control room, so McKay could give a full account of what had happened. Sheppard hated letting her do it, but he knew that they had to do everything they could. A team-mate was still in danger, a team-mate he had left behind. He's strong, he thought to himself. He'll be fine until we find out where he is. He turned his head as he heard the door open.

Teyla stepped out, a worried look on her face. "He is strong. I have never known anyone to remain quiet after what he's just endured. There must be something we can do to make him talk." Sheppard raised an eyebrow and she continued, "He is perfectly fine. There is no permanent damage." He nodded, then frowned.

"What do we do?" Sheppard hated that it was taking this long. According to what Ronon had said, they didn't have a lot of time left before he'd be sent to a different planet. One and a half hours, two tops. The planet they had been on was about two hours ahead of them.

McKay walked up. "Did you get anything?" Teyla shook her head. "Damn. So what's the plan?"

Sheppard gave him a pained look. "I've got nothing. You?"

McKay hesitated for a second. "Well, there was one thing, but…"

"What is it?" Teyla asked urgently. They were losing the little amount of time they had left.

"Well, I thought, if you couldn't get anything out of him, there's something on this base that could probably get it out of him." Teyla looked confused, and it took Sheppard a second to catch on.

Once he'd figured it out, his face lit up. "Todd! He's still locked up in a cell. We might have a tough time trying to convince him to help us out, though. He has been locked up for a couple months, and he's pretty hungry." The Colonel touched his earpiece, "Mr. Woolsey, could you meet us outside the cells on the lower levels?"

"On my way, Colonel Sheppard."

"He's not gonna like this," Sheppard said as they headed towards the cells.

"I do not like it either, but I do not see another choice. The man in there is evil, and after spending time with him, I doubt that he will be cooperative. Perhaps he will fear a Wraith more than he does us," Teyla replied.

xxxxx

Amelia sat on the edge of her bed. There still had been no word when she'd been relieved from her watch in the control room. She was exhausted, but there was no way she'd be able to sleep. Her mind was racing with all the things that could have gone wrong. She thought back of all the missions she'd watched them return from. She took a deep breath and tried to relax. They had always come back. This time wouldn't be any different. She sat and stared for another minute, then decided to go up to the infirmary. Chances were Dr. Keller was still awake, worrying about Dr. McKay. Might as well keep each other company in our misery, she thought to herself as she headed down the hall to a transporter. She smiled as she walked into the infirmary and saw Dr. Keller, staring blankly at a computer screen.

"Hey, Doc." Amelia sat down on a bed.

"Amelia! Are you alright? Kickboxing accident?"

"No, no, I'm fine. I just figured you'd be awake too, so I came to see if you wanted some company. Figured we could grab a late night snack." Amelia smiled at the doctor, who looked grateful.

"God, that sounds so good right now. Guess I shoulda known I wouldn't be the only one who couldn't sleep." The pair walked towards the mess. "So, how are things going with you and Ronon, anyway?"

Amelia put her hands in her pockets and laughed. "Good, I guess. He's…well, something else. Surprisingly shy sometimes."

Dr. Keller laughed. "Yes, I saw that side of him once. I'm just glad he's found someone. You two seem very happy together, and I've noticed he's been growling less at my staff when he comes into the infirmary. You must be a good influence."

They got to the empty mess hall, and grabbed a couple sandwiches. They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Amelia was curious, "How do you stand it? I've never spent so much time worrying, and this is the first time he's been off-world since we've been together! How do you do it all the time?"

Dr. Keller looked sad for a second, then shrugged. "I'm not going to say it's easy, because it's not. Every time I get a call to come to the infirmary, I worry that it could be Rodney. But it's just something you have to get used to. I still worry all the time, but I have learned to have faith that no matter what situation they're put in, they'll all find a way back to us. Rodney isn't a great fighter or anything, but he can think them out of a lot of situations. And I always know that Colonel Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon are very skilled fighters. If anyone can get out of a bad situation, it's that team." She reached across the table and took Amelia's hand. "They'll come back, and there isn't a lot that I can't patch up. Have some faith. Ronon's saved my life so many times. He survived seven years running from the Wraith. And he's just about the biggest man I've ever seen. It'd take a lot of firepower to take that man down."

Amelia gave the Doc's hand a squeeze. "Thanks. And you're right. He'll come back, along with Colonel Sheppard, Teyla and Dr. McKay."

Amelia watched as Dr. Keller sat up straight and listened intently to her earpiece. A smile grew on her face, and she jumped up. "Come on, that was Colonel Sheppard just now. They must be back!!! Mr. Woolsey is meeting them downstairs, let's go!" Amelia had never been so relieved. Thank God! She ran after Dr. Keller as they headed back to the transporter.

xxxxx

Sheppard had just finished talking to Todd. The Wraith had been surprisingly cooperative. He stepped out into the hall where his team was waiting. He saw Mr. Woolsey heading towards them with Major Lorne by his side. "Mr. Woolsey! We've got a plan, but you're not going to like it."

"Colonel Sheppard, guessing by the location of this meeting, I'm assuming that you've asked Todd to extract the information we need from Mr. Kole?" Mr. Woolsey asked very diplomatically.

"Um, ya, that's pretty much it."

"And what exactly did Todd say?"

"Well, that's the weird part. He said yes. All he wants in turn is to help Dr. Keller with her Retrovirus. He seems pretty bored, and I think he realizes that we're not letting him out of here. Only way for him to stay alive is if he doesn't need to feed off humans, so I'm guessing he'll actually be a lot of help to her. Win-Win, if you ask me."

Mr. Woolsey turned to Teyla. "Teyla, I assume that he gave you no information?" She shook her head, and he continued, speaking again with Colonel Sheppard, "Do you believe that there is a good chance that Todd will be able to scare this man into telling us? What's to stop Todd from feeding off of him and ruining any chances we have of finding Ronon?"

Sheppard shifted on his feet. "Well, not too much, I guess. But Todd's a smart guy. He knows he's got a much better chance of staying alive if he helps us out. I'm sure he realizes that if he kills this guy, we'll just shoot him. So on second thought, I'd say chances of Todd killing him are slim." He crossed his arms and smiled triumphantly at his logic.

Woolsey took a few minutes to think about it, fully aware that everyone around him was glaring at him. He sighed, then nodded. "Do what you have to, but Sheppard, you and Major Lorne are to remain with Todd at all times. If you think he's going to kill this man, stop him using whatever force you deem necessary."

Sheppard nodded and glanced at his watch. A little more than an hour was left.

xxxxx

Jennifer and Amelia reached the group just as Sheppard and Major Lorne emerged, leading Todd. The two women stopped at the sight of the Wraith. Amelia immediately noticed the lack of Ronon, and her heart sank. Teyla noticed them, and walked up to them quickly. "Jennifer, Amelia. I am sorry that we haven't found you earlier, but we've been very busy. We got back an hour and a half ago, and have been trying to extract some information from Kole. Do you know who Kole is?"

They both nodded, and Teyla explained the entire situation. Amelia's face went white, and Jennifer immediately took her hand. "He'll be fine, Amelia. Colonel Sheppard and his team will find them."

Teyla gave her a reassuring nod, "Yes, we will find him. Now forgive me, we are under a time constraint and I must join my team. Hopefully Todd can frighten this man enough, and we'll have Ronon back here in an hour." With that she dashed down the hallway.

Amelia took a deep breath, and Jennifer led her back to her quarters. "I don't know what kind of a confrontation there will be, so I need to get the infirmary prepared, just in case. From what Teyla said, whoever these people are, they will not hurt Ronon. Don't worry, Amelia. They'll get him back." She gave Amelia's shoulder a comforting squeeze and left.

Amelia had always been a sensible person. She knew there was nothing she could do. Sitting around worrying wasn't going to solve anything. She looked at her watch. Six more hours till her shift started. She got off her bed and put on some work-out clothes, heading towards the gym. She needed to let out her emotions. God help whoever was in the gym, because she was going to kick the crap out of someone. She sighed. Kickboxing had always been her outlet, and she really needed an outlet right now. Most girls would have sat in their room and cried for hours, but she hadn't cried in years, and she wasn't about to start now.


	5. Chapter 5

_I don't own Stargate Atlantis or its characters._

_Thanks for the reviews, and hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter as well. Hopefully I'll be able to finish the story by the end of the week. :D_

Xxxxx

Chapter 5

Ronon was dimly aware of people arguing nearby. Must be McKay and Sheppard, he thought. What are they doing in my room? He opened his eyes slowly and moved to stand up. His body hurt everywhere. "What the hell?" Then the previous day's events hit him. He had a vague recollection of him telling Sheppard to leave him behind. He jolted upright at the memory of the searing pain. He had passed out before the men on horses had found him, and had no way of knowing if his team had made it to the gate in time. He sat up and realized he was on the ground, on the outskirts of the village. A man he assumed was Simon was arguing with three men. Something about prices. Oh ya, he remembered. I'm getting _sold_ today.

The men noticed he was awake, and pulled him to his feet. The leader of the men who had come to take him away appeared angry. "You want an exorbitant price for this man! How do we know he is as good as you say? I'm going to need proof," he stated and folded his arms across his chest. Ronon hated just standing there, listening to people arguing about how much he was worth, but he knew that there wasn't much of a chance that he'd be able to escape. Not with this damn thing around his neck, anyway. He slowly stretched his cramped muscles, and after a minute felt more like himself.

Simon sighed and signaled to two of his men. "They require a demonstration. Please oblige." Then he looked at Ronon and said, "If you kill either of them, I will kill you." With that, he removed a pistol and backed away. Ronon wasn't sure what was happening, but he didn't have time to think. The two men immediately crouched and began circling him. Ronon tensed as one of the men sprung, and with two quick moves, the man was on the ground, unconscious. The other man hesitated, seeing how easily his friend had been taken down. They exchanged a few blows, and just as the man ducked to dodge a blow, Ronon saw his chance. He jumped into the air, and delivered a downward blow to the man's face which sent him sprawling.

The leader seemed pleased, and Simon soon had a bag of gold in his hand. "As always, good doing business." He nodded, and walked back towards the village.

The men approached him cautiously, and the leader looked Ronon up and down. "I assume you know that escape is extremely unlikely. My name is Adal. What is your name, and where are you from?"

Ronon hesitated for a second, then answered. "Ronon Dex, Sateda."

Adal looked truly surprised, and replied, "Sateda was destroyed over 13 years ago. I was led to believe that no one survived."

Ronon growled. "You heard wrong." He wanted to know why this man seemed familiar with his home planet, but didn't want to give the man the satisfaction of asking about it.

Adal gestured towards the path to the Stargate. "Yes, apparently I did. You may wonder how I know of Sateda?" Ronon grunted, and they walked down the path. "For some reason which I'll never understand, Sateda took a great interest in my…method of entertainment. I was relieved when I discovered the news of its destruction. They took it upon themselves to destroy many of my arenas. I've managed to build the business back up, but it still isn't quite what it used to be."

Ronon frowned. Now he knew where he was going. Sateda had waged a long war against this type of _entertainment_. Unfortunately the Wraith had come before they could finish the job. For some reason, there were many people who enjoyed watching men fight, killing each other. He remembered Sheppard trying to show him a movie, Gladi-something. After Sheppard had explained what it was about, Ronon had declined the invitation.

Ronon fought to save lives, not to provide entertainment. Sateda had done everything in its power to destroy Adal and his string of fighting arenas. Ronon himself had gone on a few missions, but his unit spent most of their time battling the Wraith. Adal continued after a few minutes of silence. "I would have paid twice what they had asked if I'd known you were Satedan. If you manage to live long enough, I'm sure you'll bring in quite the crowd." He was quiet for a moment, "If you're wondering about your friends, Simon told me about the break-out attempt."

Ronon felt a lump in his stomach. "Attempt?"

"Your friends are dead, Ronon Dex. They were shot just before they could reach the gate. Simon showed me the bodies while you were unconscious. So if you were counting on them finding you, don't. You are on your own. There is no one looking for you."

Ronon's heart stopped. He forced his feet to move forward. Adal wouldn't see him hurt. On the outside, he kept up a calm appearance, and walked forward in silence. Inside he was shutting down, not wanting it to be true. They weren't dead, they couldn't be. They made it through the gate. He wasn't alone. Ronon took a deep breath, and a tear ran down his cheek. He was alone again. Sateda had been taken from him, and now, just as he'd found a home and a family, they had been taken as well. He closed his eyes and stepped through the event horizon, hardening himself for what was coming. If he wanted to live, he had to put everything behind him. "Do I still _want_ to live?" he whispered as he reached the other side. Amelia, he remembered. Yes, he still wanted to live. She was worth it, and he would find his way back to her.

xxxxx

The door slid open and Sheppard and Teyla walked inside the isolation chamber. Kole was hand-cuffed to a chair, and he looked up as they entered. He sneered, "Back for more? I won't tell you anything."

Sheppard folded his arms across his chest. "Ya, figured you'd say that." The door slid open again, and Todd stepped in. Shock spread across Kole's face. "So, we figured you might want to tell this guy. We've had him prisoner here for a while, so he's a bit hungry. Figured you're of no use, so…"

Todd took two quick steps and was standing in front of the quivering man. Humans, he thought to himself. So fragile. He reached out with his hand towards the man's chest, and stopped half-way. "So, if you're of no use to them, you can be of use to me." Todd leaned closer. "Yes, you should sustain me for another few weeks." With that, he put his hand on the man's chest.

The man managed to keep his mouth shut, right up until Todd touched him. He jerked back and yelled. "Okay! Okay! I'll give you the gate address!" he almost shrieked. Todd laughed, which John always found really creepy.

Todd left the room, and was accompanied back to his cell. Teyla put a pen and paper in front of the shaking man, and he scrawled a series of symbols onto the paper. Sheppard leaned down and put his hands on the arms of the chair. "If you're not telling us the truth, I'm going to let that Wraith suck the life out of you." The man nodded shakily, and Teyla followed the Colonel out of the room.

xxxxx

Ronon was led into a cell. Adal had turned him over to some guards once they'd arrived at the arena. It was a circle about the size of the jumper bay, surrounded by low buildings. The tops of the buildings were covered in seating, and the lower part of the buildings was filled with cells like the one he was in. He had seen many men in the cells, the fiercer looking ones all had rings around their necks. The structure was crudely built, but it seemed solid enough.

He turned around when he heard a cough behind him. There was someone else in the cell. "Hello," a scared sounding voice said.

Ronon walked to the back and once his eyes were adjusted to the dark, could make out a very young looking man sitting in the corner. "Hey," he replied gruffly.

The man sat with his arms around his legs, which were pulled up tightly against his chest. "You're new here, aren't you?" Ronon nodded. "Well, it was nice knowin' ya," he said with a grimace.

Ronon shrugged. "How long have you been here?"

"A week, and that's long for a guy like me. I'm surprised I'm still alive. Just lucky, I guess. I haven't been sent out to fight yet. I'm up for tomorrow, though."

"That means you're going to die?"

The man looked up and Ronon could see the fear on his face. "Ya, pretty much. I'm not much of a fighter, never have been. They use guys like me so all the good fighters don't kill each other off too quickly."

"So you're going up against someone good?"

"Ya, I guess. Never seen you fight before, but you look like you could take me without much trouble."

Ronon frowned. "You're set up to fight me?"

The man nodded. "Ya, there's a big board outside. They write up the next day's fighters every night. I was kinda hoping they'd just forget about me."

"I'm not going to kill you."

The man looked confused. "But…you have to. You don't know what they do to you if you don't finish it. If you refuse to fight, they kill you both. If you win the fight, and don't do what the crowd says…well, you don't want to find out. And the crowd always votes for the kill, sadistic bastards."

Ronon sat and closed his eyes. "I'm not going to kill you," he repeated.

"You say that now," he sighed. "My name's Oren."

"Ronon Dex."

"Well, Ronon Dex, it's nice to meet you. And I hope you don't kill me, but I certainly understand if you do." Oren closed his eyes, and was asleep a second later.

Ronon got up and checked the door. He'd never been good at picking locks, and he didn't have anything to pick it with anyway. He could hear guards walking around on the roof. It was getting dark out, and he couldn't see too much, so he sat back down. I'll figure a way out of this tomorrow when I can get a better look at the layout, he thought as he fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_I don't own Stargate Atlantis or its characters._

_Thanks to Belmene for the positive reviews!! I appreciate it :D_

_Oh, and be forewarned, people. I've changed the rating to M. There is nothing explicitly described, but something very dark is implied, so be warned._

xxxxx

Ronon had been watching the fights all day. They seemed to go on from sunrise to sunset. At the end of each fight, if the loser wasn't already dead, the crowd would yell for the winner to kill. So far no one had refused their order, and Ronon wasn't sure why. Oren had made it clear that whatever happened, it wasn't good. The pair going at it right now was well-matched. They'd been fighting for nearly a half hour. The woman was slowly gaining an advantage, but it looked like the fight could last for another 20 minutes the way it was going now. He turned around and sat next to Oren.

"So, you going to tell me what they'll do to me when I don't kill you today?"

Oren sighed, "It might change your mind, and I'm selfish enough to not want that."

Ronon growled, "When I take a life, it's my choice. No one will ever make that choice for me."

Oren looked over at him, and there was something about Ronon's face that made him believe what the giant had said. "Have you seen the whips the guards carry?"

"Not up close."

"Well, they're not ordinary whips. They've got a dozen leather cords, and at the end of each cord is a razor. Tears your skin up pretty bad, and not many people win a fight after ten lashings with one of those. Lose too much blood. That's what they do to the men, anyway." Oren looked over at Ronon hopefully. For some reason, this man didn't seem to care about what he'd just told him.

"Okay. Still not going to kill ya." Ronon could see that the man was still frightened. If he could even be called a man. He couldn't be more than seventeen. Oren reminded him of some of the younger marines he and Sheppard were training. Pain shot through his chest at the memory. Sheppard…he still couldn't believe that his team was gone. Sheppard, with his ridiculous hair and willingness to do anything for his team. Teyla, who was the conscience, heart, and moral support. McKay, the brilliant and annoying scientist who had saved his life so many times he'd stopped counting. He put his head down as his eyes misted. He had to concentrate. _If it distracts you, clear your mind of it. If it fuels your anger, use it_. He had given Teyla that advice while they were captured on a hive ship. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind. "When do we go up?"

"After these two."

"Do you know how to fight?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Oren sighed and leaned his head back against the grating. "My people are simple. We're mostly farmers. There is a Ring of the Ancestors on our planet, but few of us ever ventured through it, there was no need. Several of the men in our village had offered to teach me a few things, but I never accepted their offers. Now I wish I had."

"How'd you end up here?"

"Me and a few friends were planting in a field near the ring. It turned on, and men came through. We were idiots, and thought they'd come to trade. Now my friends are dead, and I'm not exactly expecting a long life."

Ronon clapped the man on the shoulder. "We'll get out of this, k? I've got something I need to do, so I'm not dying in this place until I've done it."

Oren half-smiled. "What you gotta do so badly?"

"Kill the man responsible for killing my family."

"Ya, well, good luck with that."

They spent the rest of their time waiting in silence, watching the fight. The woman was clearly winning, but Ronon could tell both of them were trying not to kill each other. He caught a look on the man's face and understood. They know each other. Maybe a husband and wife, stolen from their home. Maybe two random acquaintances. There was no way to know, but now it was obvious. The man was letting the woman win. He was sacrificing himself to keep her alive.

Ronon promised himself that when he got out of this place, he'd contact Atlantis to let them know what had happened. Then he would kill Kole, Simon, Adal, and anyone who stood in his way. This place was disgusting, pitting friends against friends, making people think they had no choice. He was Satedan, and no one could force him to take a life.

The fight continued for a few minutes, then the woman managed to unarm the man, who was left kneeling on the ground. He looked up at the woman and smiled encouragingly. Love was written all over his face as he looked at her, and Ronon's heart went out to the couple. The crowd around them began chanting, "Kill, Kill, Kill." It started with just a few people, but soon the entire crowd was on their feet, yelling the words. Ronon could see the man's face, 20 feet away. He looked calm, and nodded at the woman, mouthing three words. Ronon could guess what they were, and he slammed his fist into the cage. This was wrong, and he couldn't do a thing about it. The woman raised her weapon, and stood there for a few seconds. She started trembling and dropped it, sinking to the ground beside him. He shook his head and tears started flowing down his cheeks.

Oren stepped up beside him, "Now you'll see what they do to women who don't obey the crowd." Ronon felt sick as he saw what he meant. The woman was pulled away from the man roughly, and one of the guards started tearing at her clothes. Ronon turned away. He couldn't watch this. He flinched when he heard her screams, mixed with the pleas of the man she'd sacrificed her body for to let live. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. _If it fuels your anger, use it_.

Several minutes went by, and eventually the screaming stopped. He turned around and saw a broken woman being dragged towards her cell. They tossed her in, and she just lay there, staring blankly ahead. The man held her in his lap, gently smoothing her hair back and whispering to her.

Ronon could see Oren out of the corner of his eye, wiping tears off his face. He didn't figure there was much to say, so he just reached out and put his hand on Oren's shoulder. The boy looked over and let out the breath he'd been holding. "I honestly know nothing about how to fight. It's best you just kill me. You'll last longer if you kill me, and it's not like I'll last very long here anyway." He looked at Ronon, and his eyes were pleading. Poor kid, he actually wanted to die.

"Hey, quit being an idiot. I told you I'm going to get us out of here. Just hang on till then." Two of the guards opened their cell door, and handed them knives. Ronon was tempted to try to slit their throats, but knew he wouldn't get very far. They walked out to the center of the field and Ronon turned to face Oren. The boy was shaking in fear, and Ronon sighed. "Alright, kid. Let's get this over with. I won't hurt you. You'll be unconscious for a couple of hours, but no permanent damage, k?" Oren didn't seem to be able to move. Ronon frowned and walked up to him. "You okay?" The crowd seemed confused, and a few of them started to yell at the guards to get it started. Ronon elbowed the motionless boy in the face, and he fell on the ground unconscious.

After a moment of shock, the crowd recovered and a few of them started shouting. They wanted to see fights, not whatever that was. After a few minutes of angry yelling, a few of them started up the chant. Ronon grimaced and looked at a few of the observers' faces. He was surprised to see a few women there. One of them had started chanting, and Ronon gave her a disgusted look. She noticed, and awkwardly stopped. Shame flashed across her face, and she quickly got up and left. Ronon spit on the ground, and threw his knife. It flew straight and true, lodging itself deep into the seat she'd just vacated. Some of the crowd gasped, and before he knew it he was on the ground. Someone had activated the ring, and he felt himself being dragged towards a stake in the ground. The ring finally shut off, and he opened his eyes.

He was tied to the stake, and one of the guards was swinging a whip towards him. He felt the leather and metal making contact with his skin, and when the guard pulled his arm back, he barely stifled a yell as the razors ripped apart his flesh. Well, so much for Rodney healing the scars on my back. I've got new ones. Another swing pulled him out of his thoughts, and he was determined not to make a sound. He thought of the woman, and looked around. She was in the cell directly in front of him. Her eyes were still dead, but she flinched every time she heard the whip sailing towards his back. He counted, and when he'd been struck ten times, he heard steps coming towards him.

One of the guards cut the ropes binding him to the stake, and he fell to the ground. Adal was standing in front of him, grinning. "You're a stupid man, Ronon Dex. You'll never live through tomorrow now. And I was hoping for so much more from a Satedan." He motioned to the guards, and Ronon was dragged to his feet. He shrugged them off, and marched back towards his cell. It took all his concentration not to pass out. As soon as he was in his cell he sank to the ground. Oren was unconscious on the floor, and Ronon crawled over to check on him. Oren came around at his touch and looked up in wonder. "I'm alive," he said in disbelief.

Ronon chuckled. "Told you I wouldn't kill you." He flinched as he pushed himself back to lean against the wall. Oren stood and walked over, looking at his back.

"That doesn't look good."

"Doesn't feel good either." He heard the arena emptying, and assumed that they had been the last fight of the day. Another guard walked over, and threw in a loaf of bread, and a pitcher of water. Oren picked up the bread and broke it in half, dropping it as a mound of maggots fell from the inside of the bread. Ronon reached towards the pitcher, drank half the water, then handed it to Oren. After Oren had finished, Ronon laid down on his stomach. "Take the maggots and put them on my back," he ordered gruffly.

Oren looked horrified. "What?"

"They'll keep the cuts clean, and they'll scab over faster. Just do it." Oren gingerly complied, and soon Ronon's back was covered in maggots.

"Gross. Where'd you learn that?"

"Used to be a Runner. I never had medical equipment, so I learned to use whatever was around. These things have saved my life more than once." Ronon sighed and closed his eyes. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to pass out now."


	7. Chapter 7

_I don't own Stargate Atlantis or its characters, I just wish I did._

_Sorry this took so long, I had a hard time writing it the way I wanted it. _

xxxxx

Ronon awoke to a loud voice outside. He looked up and saw Adal in the middle of the arena, addressing the crowd. "Today is the monthly Gauntlet! I am happy to announce that we have a Satedan to compete! He is brand new and a very accomplished warrior!" He continued in an obnoxious voice, and after a few minutes he had riled the crowd into a frenzy.

"Gauntlet?" Ronon looked over at Oren.

"Heard about it, haven't seen it. Every month they pick somebody they think can make it most of the way through. It lasts as long as you're alive. If you make it for five hours, they say they'll let you go." Ronon raised an eyebrow and sat up, pain shooting across his back as a few of the scabs stretched and tore. "Ya, well I've heard nobody makes it. Even if you did, I doubt they'd let somebody like you out. Probably just take you out back and shoot you."

Ronon sighed and stood up as a guard opened the door. Oren stood up and grabbed his arm. "Ronon, I…thank you. For this," and he pointed towards Ronon's back, "but if you want to live and get out of here, don't show any more mercy. It'll just get you killed, and you'll never avenge your family." Oren looked up at him, pleading in his eyes. He truly liked this man. He reminded him of his older brother who had been culled a few years ago, and he didn't want to watch him die.

Ronon took a deep breath and stepped out into the arena.

xxxxx

"Incoming worm hole, Colonel Sheppard's IDC," Amelia shouted towards Woolsey's office. Woolsey quickly ran down the steps towards the gate as Amelia lowered the shield. Colonel Sheppard and his team stepped through, quickly followed by Major Lorne and his team.

Woolsey looked them over quickly, and didn't see any injuries. "How did the mission go, Colonel? Any information?"

Sheppard nodded. "Found out where Ronon is. But we need to talk. Let's take this to the conference room." Woolsey turned and walked towards the conference room followed by Sheppard, Teyla, McKay, and Lorne. As soon as he had entered and they had all taken a seat, Sheppard continued. "It's going to be tough to get him out. We extracted Simon from the village, and after some convincing, he gave us the gate address. He was easier to break than Kole, thank God. Turns out Ronon was bought by some Gladiator type people. From what Simon said, we've got problems. The place is very well-protected, and it looks like we'd lose a lot of people just going in and taking him."

Woolsey nodded. "So what's the plan?"

Sheppard frowned. "Well, we were kinda hoping you'd have something." Teyla looked at him hopefully, and Woolsey shifted in his chair.

"I'm not very good with military strategy, Colonel. I believe that's your job."

"Well, ya. But all our military options involve me losing more people. We were kinda hoping you'd come up with some other way of doing it."

McKay looked up. "That's if he's even still alive." Everyone in the room shot him angry glances and he continued, "Come on! You've seen that movie! The general guy was never given a fair shot! You know it's probably rigged so Ronon'll die. I don't want to think it any more than you do, but somebody's got to say it." He stopped talking and grumbled quietly to himself.

"Ronon's not dead. I'm sure of it. He is the most accomplished fighter any of us know, and I'm sure he can survive anything they throw at him." To everyone's surprise, it was Woolsey who had spoken up. Teyla smiled and nodded, and Sheppard just gaped.

After he recovered, Sheppard nodded as well. "Right. Now we've just got to get him out of there."

Woolsey frowned, and they all sat and thought for a few minutes. "These people are in this business to make money, am I correct?" Sheppard nodded and Woolsey continued. "So why do we not simply _buy_ him back?"

"With what?" McKay said condescendingly. "It's not like they take Visa! And we certainly can't hand over any Ancient technology!"

Woolsey looked at Teyla, "Teyla, is there anything you can suggest? What would be of value to these people? Gold?"

Teyla thought for a moment. "I am afraid no one here has gold sitting around, and we could not get any here in time. Jewels are greatly valued among Pegasus, perhaps someone has some type of jewelry they would be willing to give up? I'm afraid I have nothing of value."

McKay shot out of his seat. "I can ask Jennifer! She's got a few pieces of jewelry she brought with her from Earth."

Teyla looked concerned. "I'm assuming that these people have observed Ronon fighting, and thus hold him at a great value. Also, it is possible…" she trailed off and looked down.

"Teyla, what's up? What's possible?" Sheppard asked, and everyone looked towards Teyla.

"Ronon once told me of this type of entertainment. Before Sateda was destroyed, they had waged a war against these arenas. It is possible that if these people know he is a Satedan, he will be of even more value to them. Perhaps their desire to see him die will overcome their desire for 'making money' as Mr. Woolsey puts it." Teyla's eyes were filled with concern as she looked up at Rodney. "It would have to be of great value."

Rodney sighed, then looked up hopefully. "Is the Daedalus still here?"

Woolsey nodded. "Yes, they won't leave for another week."

"Good! That means Cadman's still here!" Sheppard raised an eyebrow. Since when did McKay stop being uncomfortable around the snappy Lieutenant? McKay noticed his look and went on, "Hey, I'm not happy to see her, but between her, Jennifer, and Amelia, I'm sure they've got enough jewelry to make a dent!"

Teyla nodded hopefully.

Sheppard frowned. "That's all fine and dandy, but what if Teyla's right, and they won't sell him?"

Lorne, who had been silent during the entire conversation, spoke up. "Sir, I might have a solution to that. We offer them the payment with a few puddle jumpers behind us. People tend to be more cooperative when we've got really big guns aimed at them. Chances are they'd take the money, and we wouldn't lose anybody."

Everyone in the room stood up, and Woolsey nodded. "Very well."

Sheppard nodded. "Lorne, get the jumpers ready. Four should do just fine. McKay, you've got Jennifer. Teyla, take Cadman. I'll go tell Amelia the good news. We leave in 30 minutes." After a few seconds, Woolsey was left standing in the room by himself.

"Yes, very well then. I'll just go back to my office."

xxxxx

_Sorry, I know it's a short chapter. Please read and review!! Next chapter should be up shortly, I'm feeling more writing coming on. :D _


	8. Chapter 8

_I don't own Stargate Atlantis or its characters…_

_Please read and review!_

xxxxx

Chapter 8

Ronon staggered backwards and fell onto one knee. He raised his sword just in time to block his attacker's next blow, but every movement, every clash of their blades shot pain through his body. He had fought and won four fights now, and hadn't killed any of them. He could barely stand, and he knew he should be dead. Blood stained the dirt surrounding the dueling pair, most of it his own. His opponent swung his blade low, and Ronon jerked himself out of the way just in time, catching the man off guard. He took a deep breath and spun around, side-stepping to come up on the man's side. Before the man could react, Ronon had knocked him on the head with the hilt of his sword, and the man fell unconscious to the ground.

Ronon knelt down, dropping his sword, and waited for the crowd's chanting. After a few seconds it started, and he felt a tear make its way down his cheek. How could people be so heartless? His family was dead, and he was going to die. All because these monsters liked watching people suffer. Good people, like the man and woman from yesterday. Like Oren, a kid who probably couldn't hurt a fly. He felt arms grabbing him and dragging him to his feet. He was pulled over to the stake and they roughly turned him so his back was against the pole. Gods, he thought. They're starting on the front. He looked up at the sky and clenched his teeth as the crowd counted the strokes of the whip. By the third strike, he couldn't help but to let out a pained yell, which pleased the crowd even more. He closed his eyes and thought of his lost friends. He almost smiled when he realized he'd soon join them. If there was an afterlife. McKay was sure there wasn't, but Sheppard and Teyla believed there was. He tended to believe Sheppard and Teyla. He thought of Amelia and was sad that he'd never see her again. When she was beside him, he felt relaxed. She made him forget about the life he'd had, running for what seemed like forever.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the guards untying him from the post, and he fell to the dirt. One of the guards tossed his sword down beside him. Ronon closed his eyes and lay there, waiting for the next opponent. He would fight if he could, but at the moment it didn't seem like he'd be able to move.

The sound of a gate opening forced him to open his eyes. His vision was blurry, and all he could make out was that there was a woman approaching him with a sword. He knelt as quickly as he could and reached for his sword, pulling it across the blood-soaked dirt towards him. The woman was only 10 feet away now, and he squinted, trying to see her more clearly. He could see that she was speaking to him, but couldn't hear her over the crowd. She reminds me of Teyla, he thought to himself. He jerked up and looked at her again. Teyla!

xxxxx

Teyla approached Ronon slowly. She could see that he didn't recognize her, and she didn't want to scare him. "Ronon," she said in a reassuring voice, "Ronon, it's me. It's Teyla. We've come to get you. They'll let you come with us, all we need do is give them one last fight." She didn't think he could hear her, but after a second, she saw a glimmer of recognition in his eyes. "Ronon? Can you hear me?"

xxxxx

Ronon wasn't sure what was happening. Was he dead? This couldn't be what Teyla and Sheppard had meant about an after-life. There was too much pain, and Teyla was alone. Sheppard and McKay were nowhere in sight as far as he could tell. He looked around the crowd, trying to pick out his friends, hoping that it was true, and they were alive. The faces were too blurry to tell one from the other. His eyes started to drift shut, but flew open again as what Teyla had just said registered. _One last fight_. He pulled himself to his feet and raised his sword, wearily looking towards Teyla. The knowledge that she, at least, had survived gave him strength and he felt adrenaline race through his veins. Every movement sent more blood gushing from his wounds, and he flinched.

He saw Teyla approaching slowly, raising her sword, still speaking to him. He tried to listen to what she was saying, but he couldn't understand her. There was noise everywhere, and he couldn't make sense of any of it. He swayed and almost fell, but she smiled at him and it gave him strength. He glanced behind her, and froze. The woman from yesterday was in the cell directly behind Teyla, and she was looking at him, her eyes pleading. What had happened yesterday? Everything was becoming foggy, and he struggled to remember. Then the memories flooded back, and he looked at Teyla. "No," he whispered, and Teyla took another step forward, her eyes filled with concern and tears. Without hesitation he raised his sword and attacked Teyla, his blows sending her staggering back, and the concern in her eyes was replaced with shock.

xxxxx

Teyla wasn't sure what was happening. She'd thought that Ronon had realized who she was, but she wasn't sure now. At first he had looked weary and confused, but now, as he attacked her with surprising strength for his state, he looked focused and angry. She and Ronon were always well-matched in sparring, and she could usually hold her own against him. Why was he doing this? Every blow, every movement brought him closer to death. His entire frame was covered in blood, and each step covered the ground in more. She did her best to deflect his blows, but she could tell that he didn't want her to win. "Ronon!" she yelled, trying to bring him to his senses, "Ronon, stop! You don't need to do this! STOP!" She could tell that he'd heard and understood her, but his blows only grew faster and stronger. She could barely hear him whisper, "Teyla…let me win. Trust me." His eyes were pleading as they met with hers, and she hesitated for half a second. That half second was all Ronon needed. Before Teyla knew what was happening, her sword was being thrown across the arena, and she was smashed into the dirt. Ronon stood looking down at her, resignation in his eyes.

xxxxx

After a few seconds of shocked silence, the crowd started up the chant. Ronon looked at Teyla again. She was getting to her feet, and she looked angry. He could see that she didn't know what was going on. He wasn't sure what was happening either, but he couldn't let what happened yesterday happen to Teyla. How was she even here? Why? He looked around the crowd, and could barely pick out Adal in one of the covered seats. Ronon fell to his knees, dropping his sword. The crowd quieted, already knowing that for some reason, this man would not kill. He was dragged once more towards the blood-stained stake, and after a few moments was tied securely. He closed his eyes and could hear Teyla yelling. He felt the lash descend upon his torn skin and cried out. He waited for the next one, but it didn't come. He opened his eyes wearily and saw Teyla in the middle of the arena, still shouting. The crowd was on their feet, and he heard them chanting again. They weren't saying the same thing, though. What were they saying? Live? He felt a glimmer of hope as the guards reached up to untie him. Teyla was at his side immediately, and he felt arms lifting him up. Teyla grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

Wait, Oren! He wanted to cry out, but couldn't speak, he pulled Teyla closer and whispered in her ear. She nodded and he passed out, exhausted and close to death.


	9. Chapter 9

_I don't own Stargate Atlantis or its characters…_

xxxxx

Chapter 9

"Unscheduled off-world activation, Sir," Amelia said to Mr. Woolsey. "It's Colonel Sheppard's IDC." She hoped she looked calmer than she felt. Did they have Ronon? She could barely breathe when Colonel Sheppard's voice sounded over the radio.

"Mr. Woolsey, we're going to need a medical team in the jumper bay." His voice was filled with despair and Amelia wanted to abandon her station right then and there. Ronon needed her, but she had to stay. Duty first, that's what Ronon would probably say.

xxxxx

Jennifer was running down the hallway, a med team following as fast as they could. She reached up and tapped on her earpiece. "Colonel Sheppard, this is Dr. Keller. What are we looking at?" There were a few seconds of silence, then Teyla's voice came on.

"Dr. Keller, this is Teyla…" she hesitated, "We have Ronon, but…I'm unsure if there is anything you can do."

"You'd be surprised at what I can do, Teyla. Just hang on, I'm 2 minutes away," Jennifer sped up and her team groaned.

"Dr. Keller. Jennifer, his heart stopped five minutes ago."

Amelia dropped the radio she'd been pressing to her ear. Woolsey approached cautiously, apparently he'd heard as well. She looked up at him, confusion in her eyes. He's not dead, he can't be. Woolsey took her arm and carefully led her into his office, depositing her on a chair where she sat and stared at the stargate. She didn't cry, she didn't shake, she just sat and stared, looking but not seeing.

xxxxx

Woolsey didn't want to just leave her there, but he had to get to the infirmary. Sheppard and his team were there by now, and he had to see if it was true. He still didn't believe it.

Just before entering the infirmary he stopped and took a moment to calm himself. Ronon was a good friend to everyone, but he was the head of Atlantis and needed to at least look like he could handle anything. He stepped inside and was shocked by what he saw. Colonel Sheppard was sitting against the wall with tears streaming from red, swollen eyes. Teyla stood beside the bed with a very determined look. After a second she rushed past him, heading towards the transporter. Dr. Keller and Dr. McKay stood with their arms around each other and he could see tears in their eyes. But the most shocking sight was Ronon. Every inch of his chest and back was covered in gashes. And the blood, the blood was everywhere. Dripping on the floor, covering Dr. Keller's hands as well as soaking into the front of the colonel's uniform. He had never seen so much blood before.

Once he had recovered from the sight, he approached the group slowly. He could think of nothing to say, so he simply stood there, too tired and sad to think.

xxxxx

Todd paced back and forth in his cell. The Lanteans had promised to give him this "Dr. Beckett"s retrovirus, but had not yet fulfilled their promise. They were distracted so easily. The Wraith were powerful, but every time he'd worked with Atlantis he'd come to realize more and more that in the end, these humans' stubbornness would eradicate his kind. The only way he knew was survival, and he would survive.

He had another reason for wanting to become human, but Atlantis must never know of it. Sheppard would undoubtedly shoot him if he knew. Humans, so sure of their versions of right and wrong, so determined, yet so fragile.

He heard the door open and stood up, expecting Sheppard. He caught the scent and was surprised that it was Teyla, and she was alone. She only ever came into his cell accompanied by Sheppard or the Runner. He took another deep breath and noticed that she smelled like blood. In two quick steps he was standing 2 feet away from her, nothing but steel bars and a shield between them. He looked her over, trying not to be obvious. Once he was sure that it was not her blood, he met her eyes and waited. She looked back at him and a fierce look came into her eyes.

"I know your secret," she said slowly.

Todd took a moment, then replied. "Then why has Sheppard not killed me?"

"He does not know."

"And why are you here?"

"Ronon. He has…he has died. Restore his life." She said the last sentence with so much force, it surprised Todd. Perhaps she did know his secret.

He looked down, directly into her eyes. "As you wish, my Queen."


	10. Chapter 10

_I don't own Stargate Atlantis or its characters._

_Sorry the last chapter was so short! And sorry it took me so long to finish this. I get distracted easily :D_

xxxxx

Chapter 10

"Dr. Keller, this is Teyla," a voice sounded over the radio, interrupting the silent group surrounding Ronon's bed.

"Teyla, go ahead."

"Dr. Keller, I need you to start patching up Ronon. Do whatever you would be doing if he were alive."

Everyone turned and looked at Jennifer. Sheppard stood up slowly, confused, and Mr. Woolsey just stared at her in shock. McKay took a second, then realization slowly dawned on his face. "Jennifer, do it. She knows what she's doing."

Sheppard spoke for the first time since they'd reached Atlantis. "McKay, what's going on?"

"If I'm right, Ronon's going to be alive soon, and he'll be needing some serious medical work. Please, Jennifer, just do it." Everyone hesitated for a second, but after a few minutes the Doctor in Jennifer kicked in and she started calling out orders. Marie cleared the others away from the bed, and followed orders. More blood, sutures, soon Dr. Keller was busily stitching up his wounds. This is going to take hours, she thought glumly. She still wasn't sure why she was doing this, but Rodney seemed confident now, so she drew strength from that confidence.

After a few minutes Teyla came running in, quickly followed by Todd. Woolsey noticed that he was not handcuffed and started to say something, but stopped as he realized what was going on. Ronon had died once before, and this was how he was brought back.

"How long has he been dead," Todd hissed in his disturbing voice.

Sheppard quickly replied, "Twenty minutes, but the doctor's still got a lot of work to do." Without hesitation, Todd stepped over to the bed, scaring away Marie and the other nurses. Dr. Keller stayed where she was, ignoring him as she continued to work. He looked at Teyla once, then put his hand on the Runner's chest.

xxxxx

_Two Days Later_

Ronon slowly opened his eyes. There was something clouding his mind, he wasn't sure what. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was Teyla, then nothing. What was going on? Once his vision cleared he could see that he was in an isolation room in Atlantis, hooked up to half a dozen different IV's. He wanted to move, but he didn't think he could. He felt so weak. Then he felt something in his hand and looked down towards it. Seeing another hand, he followed it up the arm and smiled when he found Amelia's face looking at him. She looked so tired, but a smile grew across her face when she saw he was awake. "You've been asleep for two days."

"What happened? Sheppard and McKay, what happened to them? Are they dead?"

Amelia shook her head. "No, they are alive. Teyla, Colonel Sheppard, Dr. McKay, everyone is alive." Ronon took a second to let it soak in. His family was still alive and he smiled.

"How did Teyla get there?" he asked wearily. At that moment the door slid open and Dr. Keller entered, followed quickly by Sheppard and McKay.

"You two may only stay here for a few minutes, and no making him angry, ok? I don't need those stitches ripping out." Ronon had always thought it was funny when she used her doctor voice. He looked at Amelia again and wanted to touch her, to pull her tight in a hug, but the only strength he could muster was to squeeze her hand. She looked at him and smiled. "And you, Amelia, promised to get some sleep today," Keller continued.

His earlier question came back to his mind and he asked again, "How did Teyla get there? Is she alright?" He looked around, wondering why she wasn't with McKay and Sheppard.

"She's fine. Once we found out where you were, it was decided that it was too risky to try to extract you forcefully. So we, well, Jennifer Amelia and Cadman got together some jewelry and we tried to buy you back. That Adal guy said he'd take it if Teyla gave him one last fight. He forgot to mention the whole _beating the crap out of you if you don't kill your opponent_ thing. Anyway, Teyla agreed, and here we all are." Sheppard said cheerily.

McKay groaned. "Well, you DID die." Ronon raised an eyebrow. "Yup, you were dead for about 20 minutes, but then Teyla convinced Todd to help us out. Second time you've been brought back by a Wraith, isn't it?" Ronon nodded and felt his eyes drifting closed as Dr. Keller was injecting something into an IV.

"Alright, everyone out. He needs more sleep."

xxxxx

_Two Weeks Later_

Ronon stood in front of the mirror, looking at his scars. They were healing nicely, thanks to Dr. Keller, but they were still red and ugly. She had told him that they would probably never go away completely. Amelia walked up behind him and reached gingerly towards his back. "Does it still hurt?" Ronon turned toward her and drew his hand across his chest, the Satedan sign for, "It's not so bad." He smiled down at her and drew her closer to him.

"It's not as bad as it looks."

Amelia smiled back at him. "It's worse than it looks, I'm sure. But I understand…football, red meat." Ronon raised his eyebrows, confused. "Earth expression…ya know, manliness? Nevermind."

Ronon chuckled then sighed as he started towards the door. "Going to see Teyla?" Amelia asked quietly.

"Yes." Ronon had been dreading this. Teyla had been avoiding him since their return. Apparently he had offended her when he had insisted that he win the fight. She had thought that she would have received the same punishment for disobeying the crowd that he had, and apparently she was offended that he thought she was too weak to take it. He didn't want to tell her the truth, but Sheppard had made it very clear that he didn't want any coolness between his team members. "Either fix whatever it is between the two of you, or I've got to switch you to SG-2. Please, Ronon, just fix it," Sheppard had said early this morning. Ronon had put it off all day, but it had to be done eventually. He wasn't sure how she'd react. He smiled at Amelia as he left her room, heading down the hall towards Teyla's quarters.

He got there too quickly, and grimaced as he passed his hand over the door chime. A few seconds later, Teyla opened the door holding Torren. Her face showed some surprise when she saw that it was him, then she shifted Torren in her arms uncomfortably. "Yes?"

Ronon folded his arms across his chest. "Look, Teyla, you know I'm not good with words. If I offended you in any way, I'm sorry. Please tell me how to fix this…" Ronon still hoped he could get out of this without telling her.

"I'm fine, Ronon," she spoke coldly and stepped back to close the door. Before she could, he dodged inside and was relieved that Kanaan wasn't in the room.

"Tell me what's wrong."

Teyla walked over to the crib and placed Torren in it gently. She then whirled around with an angry look in her eye. "What is wrong? Ronon! Do you think I am so weak that I would not gladly take those lashings for you? You were near death, Ronon! You DID die! Are you so selfish that you would have all of your friends, that you would have Amelia, lose you for the sake of sparing me a few moments of pain?! We almost lost you, Ronon, and I could have stopped it. You had no right to make that decision for me." Her eyes were smoldering with anger, and Ronon almost wanted to run. This little woman was the fiercest creature he'd ever met.

He sighed and looked at his feet. "Teyla…I didn't want to tell you, but I value your friendship a great deal." He hesitated for a second and she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "Alright, I would have let you take the lashings for me, and I would have been grateful. But…Teyla, the punishment for men and women was different. I didn't do it for you alone, I did it for Kanaan as well." He looked up and could see that Teyla understood, but didn't want to.

"Ronon, what exactly was the punishment for women?" Teyla turned white, and she didn't look like she wanted to hear the answer.

"Teyla…" he said quietly, and stopped talking. Half a second later she had her arms around him in a fierce hug.

"Ronon, I'm sorry. I should…I should have spoken to you before now. I should have known that you do not think I am weak." She buried her head in his chest and whispered, "Thank you, Ronon."

He pulled away at that and held her face in his hands. "Teyla, do not thank me. Never speak of it again, understood?" She nodded, and he saw a look of concern in her eyes. "What is it?"

She pulled back and turned away from him. "Ronon, if I tell you something, do you promise to keep it from Sheppard and the rest of the people on the base?"

Ronon grunted an affirmative and waited.

"Ronon, I was the one who asked Todd to restore your life. But I didn't ask, I ordered him to." She turned and looked at him, and saw confusion all over his face. She sighed and continued. "Do you remember when Jennifer performed the surgery to alter my appearance to that of a Wraith?" Nod. "And you remember that Todd introduced me as his Queen?" Nod. "Ronon, it appears that he meant that quite literally. He accepted me as his queen, but I believe that he never meant for any of us to know. He is loyal to me." She looked worried, and stood waiting for his reply.

"So…wow," was all he managed to get out. She rolled her eyes, "Ronon, this is serious. I am unsure what I should do. He has been helping Dr. Keller with her retrovirus for the past weeks, and I do not know if the situation will change once his…Wraith DNA can be removed."

Ronon frowned and looked down. "I'm all for shooting him, but for some reason nobody here will let me. I guess the best thing is to wait and see. But I'm here if you need anything, Teyla. And if you ever want me to shoot him, I'll brave all Mr. Woolsey's frowns afterwards. Got it?" Teyla smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Ronon. We shall wait and see."

xxxxx

"Seriously! I'd rather stab my foot with a fork! Ok, maybe not my foot, but you get the idea!" Rodney whined to the others gathered around the table. Rodney, Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon, Amelia and Jennifer were all crowded onto a table in the mess hall.

Teyla smiled at him. "Rodney, it will be a nice break from our usual missions. I'm sure this ceremony will not be as bad as you think it shall."

"Ya, and I hear the roasted bug thing is…well, I heard it was pretty bad, actually," Ronon said, holding a loaf of bread he was shoveling into his mouth. Rodney groaned.

"Oh come on, Rodney. At least you'll have a crazy story to come back and tell me." Jennifer gave him her most encouraging smile.

"Why can't you send Lorne and his team on this one?" Rodney directed his question to Sheppard, who rolled his eyes.

"Woolsey wants us to go. Says we should send our 'Top Team' out to participate. Guess it would mean a lot to the village."

"Besides, you'll get to have a match with me, that'll be fun, right?" Ronon grinned evilly at Rodney, who groaned and rolled his eyes.

Amelia sat with Ronon's hand in hers, watching his team. They continued on about their next mission, and she could see that they were a tight knit family. She was lucky to be allowed in. She closed her eyes and rested her head on Ronon's shoulder, listening to the team's banter with a contented smile on her face.

xxxxx

_And that's the end! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter! Sorry, I know I'm not the best writer that's been born, but I certainly enjoy writing, and would love to hear comments from anyone who reads this! Once again, thanks for the reviews I've gotten so far! _

_I should be writing another story again soon, but I would love suggestions for future stories! I also do not have a beta reader, so please excuse any grammatical errors and mis-spellings. :D _


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